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Association between the adherence to Mediterranean diet and depression in rheumatoid arthritis patients: A cross-sectional study from the NHANES database
Depression and other mental comorbidities are often linked to rheumatoid arthritis (RA), a systemic inflammatory disease. Research indicates that inflammation is a key factor in the pathophysiology of both depression and rheumatoid arthritis patients (RA). The Mediterranean diet (MED) is recognized as a healthy, anti-inflammatory dietary pattern, which drove Ma et al. (2024) to investigate the relationship between adherence to the Mediterranean diet (aMED) and depression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis patients (RA). RA patients aged 20 years and older (n = 1148) were selected from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) database, and underwent 24-hour dietary recall interviews to collect data on their dietary intake. Covariates included sociodemographic details, lifestyle factors, laboratory parameters, and medical history. Subgroup analyses were conducted to examine further how specific components of the MED relate to depression. A total of 290 participants (25.26%) reported depression. After adjusting for variables, the authors noted that higher adherence to MED was related to lower odds of depression in rheumatoid arthritis patients (RA) patients. Increased intake of vegetables and cereals, two Mediterranean diet staples, was especially linked to lower odds of depression. The authors draw the conclusion that patients with RA may benefit psychologically from increased aMED. To further investigate the connections between aMED and depression in the RA patient group, larger cohort studies are required in the future. [NPID: Mediterranean diet adherence, depression, Rheumatoid arthritis, NHANES database]
Year: 2024
